Geeta starts with a fight, gets blown away in repechage

Geeta Phogat made history when she won India’s first gold in the Commonwealth Games at home in 2010. On Thursday, the 24-year-old from Balali (Bhiwani) village, in Haryana, once again made history when she became the first Indian to represent the country in women’s wrestling at the Olympics Games. However, she failed to take the next big step.

The Indian girl ran into far more experienced, tactically superior wrestlers and bowed out after losing both her bouts. In her first match, Geeta took on world No. 2 Tonya Lynn Veerbeek, who turns 35 on August 14.

It was a draw which would have reduced any first-timer into a bundle of nerves. Geeta did not let that get to her and gave the muscular Canadian, who teaches leisure management in Brock University (Ontario), a good fight.

In the repechage, she needed to beat Ukraine’s 31-year-old Teytyana Lazareva to get into a fight with Colombia’s Jackeline Castillo for the bronze. Geeta had beaten the Latin American at the CWG.

However, Lazareva, twice medalist at the World Championships, exacted revenge in style. She took the first round 8-0, getting a killer hold over Geeta and rolling her over twice. The contest was over in the second round.

What let Geeta down was an error in the first round. After a pointless first minute, in which both wrestlers tried to get a clear hold of the opponent’s legs to attack, Geeta won a ‘clinch’.

This should have been good enough for her to at least score an easy first point. She took hold of Tonya’s leg and tried to go for a complicated twist. But the Canadian managed to escape from the hold and pinned Geeta down for an easy point.

“Galti ho gayi (I made a mistake),” Geeta said later. “I was trying to go for a tactical move which did not pay off. She was very strong.” Geeta added that she was not under any pressure. “I know she is double Olympic medalist and is world No. 2 but I was not under any pressure. I know I failed to make the most of the clinch.”

She got another clinch in the second round and earned a point. In the third round, Verbeek managed to get hold of Geeta and pinned her down in a tight grip to earn three crucial points. Geeta managed to get a point back but that was not enough.

“The fact that she managed to go three rounds against this Canadian woman is creditable. If she would not have missed that clinch, it was anybody’s match,” coach Om Prakash Yadav said.

Geeta added that it’s difficult to fight against a defensive opponent. “She is a very strong defensive player. I tried to attack but she gave me no chance, she managed to slip away.”

On Thursday, Mahavir must be a satisfied man. Geeta also looked ahead. “I will leave London behind. There is lot of hard work ahead. I will not give up,” she said.

HOW SHE LOST

1/8 FINALS

Geeta Phogat 1 Tonya Verbeek (Can) 3

Geeta loses, but remains in hunt for a bronze through repechage as winner Tonya Verbeek reaches the final

REPECHAGE ROUND 2

Geeta Phogat 0 Tetyana Lazareva (UKR) 3

Geeta is out of competition after losing the repechage bout. If she had beaten Tetyana, she could have entered the next round. A win in that round would have given India the bronze.